Constitution and By-Laws of the Cameron American Indian Student Association

The CAMERON AMERICAN INDIAN STUDENTASSOCIATION do hereby establish the following constitution and by-laws revised January 23, 2007 for the purpose of:

1. The advancement of our students socially, culturally, and academically.
2. The perpetuating of the customs of our members.
3. Adhering to the rules and laws of our University, those of our state, and country.
4. Establishing an identity beneficial to the Cameron American Indian Student Organization.
5. The promoting of friendship, goodwill, and cooperation with fellow students and organizations.

ARTICLE I

NAME
Section I.
The organization comprised of Cameron students will be named the Cameron American Indian Student Organization.

ARTICLE II

MEMBERSHIP
Section I.
A. Active members in this organization shall be open to all students enrolled in a full or part-time course or course of study.
B. Associate membership may be obtained on request or by an introduction by a member in good standing. Associate members have no voting powers.
C. A good member will be in good standing as stated in the by-laws. (Article X, Section III)
D. Penalties imposed for members not in good standing are as stated in the by-laws.

ARTICLE III

OFFICERS AND QUALIFICATIONS
Section I.
A. The officers of the organization shall be as follows: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Student Government Representative, Parliamentarian, and Public Relations Officer.
B. The body shall be known as the Executive Board.
C. The President and the Vice-President of this organization must be a full-time Student during his/her term of office.
D. Secretary, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, and Public Relations Officers must possess the necessary skills to execute their duties.

ARTICLE IV

POWER AND DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section I. President
A. The President presides over all meetings.
B. The President may be one of two required signatures to endorse for deposit or payment of all notes, checks, drafts, and other obligations on behalf of the club. (See Article X, Section VI, & VII)
C. As the need arises, the President may appoint committees subject to approval of majority of the members.
D. The President has the power to call special meetings of this organization as he/she deems necessary.
E. The President shall exercise his/her right to vote in the vent of a tie.

Section II. Vice-President
A. The Vice-President will assume the duties of the President in case of absence.
B. The Vice-President may be one to two required signatures to endorse for deposit or payment of all notes, checks, drafts, and other obligations on behalf of the club. (See Article X, Section VI, & VII)
C. In the event that the President resigns or is removed from office through impeachment or is no longer classified as a student at Cameron University; the Vice-President will serve as president. (See Article VI, Section I, subsection B.)
D. The Vice-President will be executive member officer of all special committees appointed by the President.
E. The Vice-President is, by virtue of this office, a voting member of this organization unless otherwise stated in the bylaws of Article X, Section II through IV.
F. The Vice-President should preside over at least two meetings during his/her term of office.
G. The Vice-President shall assist the president in all official business of this organization.

Section III. Secretary
A. The Secretary is responsible of keeping complete record at all official meetings of the organization and is responsible for providing typed copy of the minutes of the previous meetings to the Executive Board and the sponser.
B. The Secretary is responsible for keeping attendance record at all official meetings.
C. The Secretary is responsible for maintaining a membership roster.
D. The Secretary receives all official correspondence of the organization.
E. At the explication of the Secretary’s term of office, he/she will arrange for the transfer of all documents to the new secretary.
F. The Secretary is, by virtue of this office, a voting member of this organization.

Section IV. Treasurer
A. The Treasurer will receive and keep an account of all monies belonging to this organization.
B. The Treasurer will be one to two required signatures to endorse for deposit or payment of all notes, checks, drafts, and other obligations on behalf of the club. (See Article X, Section VI, & VII).
C. The treasurer will deposit funds with the Business Office according to the policies and procedures according to Cameron University Business Office.
D. The treasurer will collect dues from members and be prepared to present a financial statement to any officers or the general membership at all organizational meetings.
E. The treasurer will keep an inventory of all non-monetary donations and supplies.
F. The Treasurer will be responsible for notifying members of delinquent dues.

ARTICLE V

ELECTIONS
Section I.
A. Elections of officers will be held biannually at the beginning of each academic semester.
B. Candidates will be nominated from the floor.
C. Officers will be elected by a majority vote of the members present and will serve for one semester.

ARTICLE VI

VACANCIES AND REMOVALS
Section I.
A. A vacancy is declared if the officer resigns, is removed from office or is no longer a member in good standing as defined by the by-laws. (See Article X, Section XXX).
B. Should the office of the President become vacant before the expiration of his/her term, the vice-president shall assume the duties and responsibilities of the office and serve out the term of office.
C. If both office of the president and vice-president become vacant the Parliamentarian will assume the President’s duties until a special election can be held to fill the vacancies.
D. All resignations shall be submitted to the Executive Board.

Section II. Impeachment
A. Impeachment charges may be reported to the membership in good standing.
B. A majority vote is required to initiate impeachment charges.
C. The accused officer has the right to protest impeachment proceedings and defend him/herself against said charges.
D. The sponsor(s) will designate an officer to preside over impeachment proceedings with club members acting as jurors.
E. A unanimous vote of membership in good standing is required to remove the officer from office.
F. In the event that the President of the organization is formally accused the Vice-President will assume the President’s responsibilities. (See Article VI, Section I, Subsection B.)

ARTICLE VII

MEETINGS
Section I.
A. Meetings will be held monthly during each semester.
B. Special meetings will be held by the president as he/she deems necessary.

DUES
Section I.
A. A fee of three dollars will be paid by the members to the Treasurer for each semester.
B. Fees will be due by the eighth week of each semester.
C. A fee of five dollars will be paid by the member to the Treasurer for each academic year.

ARTICLE IX

AMENDMENTS
Section I.
A. Proposed amendments to the constitution may be brought up by a member in good standing.
B. An amendment must pass by a majority vote of the membership.
C. Proposed amendments should be submitted in writing before a ballot vote.

ARTICLE X

BY-LAWS

Section I.
A member is in good standing when:
1. All dues are paid.
2. There is 50% participation in organizational activities.
3. Has less than three organizational meeting absences per semester.

Section II.
Penalties: If the member misses more than three organizational meetings then the member is not in good standing. If the member is an officer, then the officer will be replaced by the Executive Board.

Section III.
The club may increase membership dues to make any special assessments that the organization may need to carry out its activities with the approval of majority vote of the members.

Section IV.
All deposits or payments of all notes, checks, or drafts require two signatures, one to be the Treasurer and the other to be the President or Vice-President.

Section V.
All Expenditures will be approved beforehand by the sponsor before any expenses involving monies can be initiated.

ARTICLE XI

RATIFICATION
This constitution and by-laws become effective upon majority approval of the membership and the sponsor(s).